Hard to Love You
by Jaudreylover24
Summary: Jack and Audrey Post Season 4 AU.  After Audrey breaks up with Jack, can they work together again?  Can they work things out?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: New story. Jack and Audrey post season 4 AU. No stuff with Jack having to disappear. Reviews appreciated._

Chapter 1

Audrey opened the hotel room door and sank to the floor. She had cried earlier today, but this was different. She thought of the previous night when she and Jack had been in this room together, happier than she had ever been. Now she had completely tore their relationship apart.

How could one day have changed everything? How could she have felt so many strong uncontrollable emotions in such a short amount of time? Love, fear, more love, horror, betrayal, and sadness. Audrey forced herself up and walked to the bed. She collapsed onto it and could barely stand the fact that they had made love in that bed such a short time ago.

She wanted him to be there with her. To hold her as she cried and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But, at the same time she never wanted to look at him again. She cried until she had no tears left to cry. Finally, she fell asleep.

When morning came Audrey woke up and started reaching across the bed for Jack. It was a habit she knew she'd have to give up. She wondered where he was right then. Where had he stayed? She looked at the clock and saw that her flight left in four hours. She got up and took a shower. She thought of him again and this time got angry with herself. How could she let him go if she kept thinking of him all the time?

She turned off the water and got dressed into comfortable clothes for her plane ride. She started to pack her things promising not to let any more tears fall. She kept her promise for about a minute and a half. She picked up the necklace he had given her for her birthday and started to cry. She didn't know whether or not to keep it. If she kept it, would it mean she forgave him? If she left it for him, would he think she didn't want to try again someday?

Audrey cursed herself. She didn't give him any reason to think they still had a chance together. But, part of her knew that given a little time, they might be able to reconcile. She took the necklace and put it in her suitcase.

* * *

><p>Jack had spent the night at CTU. As much he wanted to leave that horribly cursed place, he couldn't. Audrey wouldn't want to see him. Tony had offered Jack a place to stay for the night, but Jack passed. He was glad that he had. Staying up let him finish up the work he had to do. There were many loose ends to tie from that dreadful day. He wanted to get back to D.C. as fast as possible. He wanted to show Audrey that even though he may belong at CTU, he didn't want to be there.<p>

He hoped that she would forgive him for his actions that day, but knew that it was a stretch. He killed her husband. She was going to leave him for Paul. He knew he should've been angry with her for that, but knew that none of that would've happened had he kept his dark side from her. He should have left it to CTU to do their jobs. He should've stuck to his job.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone, which was now ringing. He reached for it frantically hoping it was Audrey. He was upset to see that it wasn't her. It was Secretary Heller. Jack answered.

"Jack, how long are you staying in L.A. for?" asked Secretary Heller.

"I'll be catching a plane for D.C. tonight, Sir," Jack replied.

"Good," Secretary Heller said, "I was afraid you'd want to stay there. You're one of my best workers, Jack."

"Thanks, Sir," Jack said.

"And, Jack," Heller continued, hearing the sadness in Jack's voice.

"Yes, Sir?" Jack asked.

"Audrey won't be mad forever," Heller finished. He hung up before Jack could respond.

Jack put down his phone. He certainly hoped she wouldn't. He looked at the clock on his phone. Only an hour until Audrey got on her plane. He figured by the time he got to the hotel, she'd probably be at the airport. He walked out the doors whispering a cursed goodbye at the place that had once again caused his life to turn upside down.

* * *

><p>Audrey walked out of the hotel room and took a taxi to the airport. When the plane arrived Audrey got on and started to feel nervous. She had never been afraid of planes. She just couldn't help but think that this was the final goodbye. Jack would stay and she would never see him again.<p>

"Everything okay?" asked a lady who Audrey hadn't even noticed was sitting next to her.

"I'm fine thanks," Audrey said, forgetting how people could just be generally friendly like that.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business," the lady said.

"No, it's not that. It's just complicated," Audrey said, not wanting to make the lady feel bad, "I still feel like I'm going to wake up from some horrible nightmare any minute now."

"Sometimes talking about it helps," the lady said, "I'm Rachel."

"Audrey," Audrey replied introducing herself. She wasn't normally one to talk about her problems, especially to a stranger. But, Rachel was a generally caring person, which Audrey needed at that time. Audrey told the lady everything going on without giving out secret information.

"And, that's my story. Oh, I'm so sorry. You probably didn't want to hear any of that," Audrey said realizing she had just become the "passenger who can't stop talking about herself".

"No, it's okay," Rachel said, "That must have been one hell of a day."

"Yeah," Audrey said.

"For both you and Jack," Rachel said.

"I guess," Audrey said.

"Not that I can blame you, but maybe you decided too soon," Rachel said, knowing that she might offend Audrey. Audrey didn't speak which Rachel took advantage of. "I bet it wasn't easy for him to decide to do all those things if he thought he was losing you."

"He wasn't losing me. Not until he killed Paul," Audrey said.

"From what you told me about wanting to leave with Paul, I'd say that's not true," Rachel said.

"I was going to leave with Paul. But, I wasn't going to be with him. I didn't think it was fair that he got tangled up in that day. So, I was going to stay with him until he got better. Just because I love Jack doesn't mean I didn't still care about Paul," Audrey said more to herself than to Rachel. Rachel sensed this and kept quiet.

"I would've gone back to him. Just because I don't like that side of him doesn't mean I hate all of him," Audrey continued, "And, I knew about that side of him. I read his file. Just seeing it made it a lot more real. I could've gotten over that."

"But, you don't think you'll get over him saving lives over killing your husband?" Rachel asked.

"No, that's the part I hate. I do forgive him. But, I shouldn't. Right? It was wrong and I should never forgive him for something that horrible, yet I am."

"I don't know what to say," Rachel said.

"Thank you for all your help," Audrey said. Rachel smiled at her not knowing how much she had actually helped.

* * *

><p>Jack opened the door to the hotel room slowly. Part of him wanted her to be there. The other part didn't. He wouldn't know what to say. He looked around but saw no sign of Audrey. He grabbed a suitcase and started packing. His plane left in a couple hours.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Enjoy and Review! Also, i forgot the lines that separated whose POV it was in the first chapter in case anyone was confused._

Chapter 2

Audrey's plane landed and Audrey got into the limo that her father had sent to pick her up. Audrey was surprised to see her father in the limo.

"Don't you have work you have to do?" Audrey asked, putting on a happy face for him.

"I thought you might want some company," Secretary Heller said. Audrey briefly smiled for him. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Yeah," Audrey said, now realizing that she had fallen asleep at noon and didn't wake up until six in the morning. That was eighteen hours.

"I want you to take a few days off," Secretary Heller said.

"No, I don't want to," Audrey said.

"It's not an option," Heller told her.

"Dad," Audrey said. She needed to work. It would help her take her mind off of things.

"Jack's coming back tomorrow and we have a ton of meetings. I don't want to feel the tension between the two of you."

"He's coming back?" Audrey asked, shocked.

"Yes," Heller said.

"Why?" Audrey asked.

"He works here," Heller said. Audrey dropped her head into her hands letting her father see exactly how broken up she was. "Audrey, he's my best worker. I can't fire him. I know you blame him for what happened to Paul but-"

"No, dad. This isn't about what happened to Paul. I just thought he was staying in L.A." Audrey said, unsure of how to tell about all the emotions she was feeling at that moment.

Secretary Heller remained silent. He wasn't sure what to say. He didn't understand Audrey and Jack's relationship. He had only found out about it two days ago. Finally, the limo pulled up to Audrey's townhouse. Audrey hesitated before getting out. She didn't want to be flooded with the memories of her and Jack. She braced herself and got out of the car.

Secretary Heller was already out of the car getting her things from the trunk. He started bring the things towards the house and was waiting for Audrey to unlock it.

"I can bring everything in," Audrey said. She didn't want him to see that she and Jack had just moved in together.

"No, I'm going to make sure you're going to be okay by yourself before I leave," Heller told her.

"Your choice," Audrey said, unlocking the door. She pushed her way through as quickly as she could, ignoring the wave of memories that was crashing through her. She brought the suitcase she was carrying to the bedroom and Heller followed behind her taking in the site of Audrey's things mixed with Jack's. Audrey took the suitcase from Heller and set it down.

"Thanks for your help," Audrey said, "You can go now."

"It was serious between you two wasn't it?" Heller asked.

"Yeah," Audrey said sadly.

"How long were you two together?" he asked.

"Dad," Audrey said, "Can we please not do this now?"

"Okay," Heller said. Audrey was crying now. He sat her down on the bed and tried to comfort her. Once she stopped crying, Heller offered to take her out to dinner.

"No thanks. I'm not that hungry," Audrey said.

"You have to eat sooner or later," Heller said.

"I will," Audrey said, "Just not right now."

"Okay," Heller said, choosing to lose this battle so he could win the next. "You're not going to work tomorrow."

"Yes I am," Audrey said, "We're going to have to work together at some point in time."

"Yes," Heller said, "But, it doesn't have to be right now."

"Fine," Audrey said, giving in. "I won't go."

"Good," Heller said.

"Can you go now?" asked Audrey. "I really just want to be alone."

"Sure," Heller said, "Just call me if you need anything."

Audrey walked him to the door and shut it behind him. She went back to the bed and laid down.

* * *

><p>Jack's plane landed and Jack walked as slowly as possible out of the airport. He didn't know what to do. It was almost nine o'clock when Jack hailed a taxi.<p>

"Where ya goin' tonight?" The taxi driver asked.

"Just drive," Jack said. He wasn't sure what to do. He could go to Audrey's and try and apologize. He could get his things. Or, he could save that for another time and just book a hotel room for the night. Jack thought ahead to tomorrow. He would have to see her anyways. Might as well do it now. Jack told the cab driver the address and he changed directions.

The cab driver stopped and Jack hesitated to get out. He paid the driver as slowly as humanly possible and walked slowly to get his things from the trunk. Jack walked up the stairs with the key in his hand. He stopped before unlocking it and knocked instead.

* * *

><p>Audrey shot straight up when she heard the knock on the door. She stood up and walked to the door sleepily. She opened it and saw Jack. Her heart melted.<p>

"You have a key," Audrey said. It wasn't meant to sound cold, but it did nonetheless. She turned around leaving the door open for him to come in. He didn't need her permission.

"I know," Jack said, "I just figured-"

Jack stopped not knowing how to finish. Audrey looked at him, but looked away when she saw his gorgeous blue eyes staring back at her. She sat down on the couch not knowing what to do with herself.

"I just came to get my things," Jack said, sadly. Audrey didn't respond and watched as Jack walked past her and into the bedroom. She looked at the time. It was nine thirty. She knew it wouldn't be hard for him to find a hotel. But, she really didn't want him to leave. At the same time she felt like she would be betraying Paul if she let him stay.

* * *

><p>Jack packed some of his things leaving behind stuff so he could go back for it later. When he put everything he'd need for the next couple days into a suitcase, he walked back out. Audrey looked deep in thought and Jack interrupted.<p>

"I'll be back to get the rest some other time," Jack said.

"Why don't you just stay tonight?" Audrey said.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, shocked.

"I'm not really sure of anything right now which is why I don't want you to leave," Audrey said.

Jack wasn't sure what to say. Was she just doing this to be nice? No, she had no reason to be nice. "Okay."

He wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. He wanted her back. He was just planning on giving her a little time to recover. Jack sat in the chair across from her. They sat in an awkward silence for what seemed like an eternity.

"Why are you back?" Audrey asked breaking the silence, "I thought you were going to stay with CTU."

"I never meant for you to think that," Jack said, "I like working here. I like being able to have what we have."

"Me too," Audrey said, "As confusing as things are right now, I do understand why you had to do what you had to do. It's just hard for me to believe it actually happened."

"I know," Jack said, feeling comfortable enough to move to the couch and sit next to her. Audrey didn't seem to mind which made Jack feel, for the first time since he told her he loved her, that everything was going to be alright.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 3

Audrey woke up suddenly from a nightmare. She immediately tried to not wake Jack as she went to the bathroom to clear her head. She had seen it all again. All the things she was trying to forget came crawling back while she slept. She splashed some water on her face to try and wash away the memories of that horrible day.

Once she turned the water off, she walked into the living room without even looking at Jack as she left. She grabbed a blanket off one of the chairs and fell asleep on the couch.

* * *

><p>Jack heard Audrey get up, but knew that it must've been from a nightmare. He figured it was because of him. He usually would've made sure she was okay but figured she wouldn't want that. He was waiting for her to come back to bed before he allowed himself to fall asleep again. He could feel his heart drop as she walked into the other room. He now knew for sure that her nightmare had been about him. Eventually, he forced himself to stop thinking about her and fell asleep.<p>

The next morning, Jack's cell phone woke him up. He answered it and heard the Secretary on the other line. Secretary Heller kept it short saying only that Jack had the day off. Jack laid in bed for a little while before getting up and deciding to make Audrey breakfast.

* * *

><p>When Audrey woke up and got dressed. As she walked towards the kitchen she smelt food. French toast and bacon, specifically. She walked into the kitchen and found Jack making breakfast.<p>

"What are you doing?" Audrey asked.

"Making you breakfast," Jack said.

"You're going to be late for work," Audrey said.

"No," Jack said, "Secretary Heller gave me the day off."

"He told me that you guys had a ton of meetings," Audrey said, angrily.

"Maybe he does. But, he didn't mention any to me and told me to take today off," Jack said. Audrey rolled her eyes and sighed before walking out angrily. She slammed the door behind her as she walked out to her car.

* * *

><p>"So much for breakfast," Jack said to himself. He picked up the plate of French toast and threw it in the trash. He wasn't hungry anyways. He went into the bedroom and started packing some more of his things. When he was out of suitcases, he went online and looked for an apartment. He found some relatively quickly. He decided he'd look at those sometime soon but first he booked a hotel room for a couple nights.<p>

He put the suitcases he had into his car and drove to the hotel.

* * *

><p>"You lied to me," Audrey said bitterly to her father when she stormed into his office.<p>

"About what?" Heller asked.

"You told me that I shouldn't come to work today because Jack was working but you gave him the day off!" Audrey said loudly after she shut the office door.

"Audrey," he said, "You both deserved a day off."

"But, I didn't want a day off! I wanted to work."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Heller said, trying to make her calm down.

"Well, expect me here tomorrow," Audrey said. She turned to leave.

"What's wrong?" Heller asked. "Yesterday you were just really sad and today you're really angry. And, don't say it's because I didn't let you work."

Audrey turned back around, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get mad at you. I just hate how horribly mixed up my feelings are about everything. And, I was going to use today to sort it out. But, I can't do that with Jack near me because then I get even more confused."

"Well, why do you have to be near him?" Heller asked.

"I let him stay last night. And, if ask him to go away and then decide that's not what I want he might not want me back," Audrey said. She left this time not letting her father comment. She didn't want anyone else's opinion right now. She got into her car and drove away.

* * *

><p>Jack checked into the hotel and put his stuff down. He didn't unpack. He simply turned around and walked downstairs to the hotel's bar. On his third drink, a woman sat down next to him. She ordered her drink and asked Jack if he wanted another one.<p>

"No," Jack said, "This is my last one, thanks."

"Suit yourself," she said. "Girl problems?"

"It's a long story," he replied and took another sip of his drink.

"I'm Rachel," she said.

"Jack," he said. "So why are you here?"

"It's my second night here. I spent yesterday unpacking and I thought I'd get out of my room for a little," Rachel said.

"Are you moving here? Or just vacationing?" Jack asked.

"Moving. I just have to stay in a hotel until I can find an apartment," Rachel answered. "Do you live here?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "Well not in the hotel, but in D.C."

"Yet, you're staying at this hotel?" Rachel asked.

"For a while," Jack said. They talked for a little while longer before Jack decided to retreat to his room.

* * *

><p>Audrey walked into her townhouse and looked around. She walked into the bedroom and didn't see Jack. She wondered where he went. As she turned to walk back into the living room, she noticed the suitcases, which Jack had left there last night, were no longer there. She turned back towards the bedroom and practically ran to his closet. Most of his things were gone. Audrey sank to the floor and started to cry.<p>

Did he not want her anymore? Audrey couldn't believe that he had left. He hadn't even mentioned it to her. Should she call him? Did he want her to?

Instead she just sat and cried for a while. Hoping he'd come back soon to get his things so she could talk to him. If not, she'd have to wait until work the next day.

When Audrey looked at the time when she had finally stopped crying it was really late. She crawled into bed hoping to see him tomorrow. But, at the same time hoping she wouldn't have to.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Enjoy and let me know what you think! _:)

Chapter 4

The next morning, Audrey woke up from the sound of the door opening. She jolted out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She quickly brushed through her hair and wiped her face clean of the massacre that had run down her face the night before. She went back into the bedroom and found Jack standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Hey," Audrey said, feeling completely heartbroken.

"Hey," Jack said. "I just came to get the rest of my things before work."

He set his empty suitcase down by his closet and started to empty it. Audrey sat on the bed trying really hard not to cry. She knew she brought this on herself. She had been pushing him away. She wanted to say something. To tell him not to leave. But, part of her kept remembering Paul dying. He finished packing and walked towards the door.

"I'll see you at work?" Audrey asked, wondering whether or not he would shut her out completely from his life.

"Yeah," he said, quietly.

* * *

><p>Jack got into his car and cursed himself. Why did he go when he knew she'd be there? Did he really think she'd ask for him back? He drove to work trying to put his thoughts away. One of the greatest parts of being an agent was that he learned shut out his emotions. Why was this so hard?<p>

When he got to work, he was happy to see the mound of paperwork. It would keep his mind off things. Around ten, Jack was interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said. The door opened slowly and he saw Audrey.

"Secretary Heller wants us to join his eleven o'clock meeting with Senator Lewis," Audrey said.

"Okay," Jack said. "I'll be there."

"He also wants us to go over the bill we'll be talking about real quickly," Audrey said.

"Okay," Jack said, moving some papers off of the chair next to him so that Audrey could sit. Jack was amazed when Audrey sat down and they started discussing the bill. He and Audrey had always worked well together but he thought it was only because they were friends and then more than that. He thought since they were over, they wouldn't work together comfortably anymore. But, he felt more comfortable with her now than he had in three days.

* * *

><p>When they were done, Audrey was happy that they could still work together. Maybe they still had a chance. They walked together to the meeting and sat next to each other. The meeting went along in the same fashion as every other meeting except this time Audrey and Jack were not glancing at each other as much as possible. When the meeting was over, Audrey walked down to her office.<p>

"Hey," Jack said, catching up to her right next to her office.

"What's up?" Audrey asked.

"I was thinking that we could get some lunch," Jack said. "Together."

Audrey took his hand and led him through the door to her office. She shut it behind her. She sighed knowing that she had no idea what she was going to say.

"Look, Jack, I'm going to talk and I need you to not interrupt," Audrey said. Jack nodded. "I want to. Because even though I'm angry with you, I'd hate to lose you. I love you so much. But, dating you is like slapping Paul in the face a million times. I understand that why you had to save that man. And, I understand that it was just bad timing. But, he still died. And, I know I was dead set on leaving him for the longest time but I did love him for a long time too."

Audrey paused. Jack apologized to her. Audrey said, "I'm not done. Paul's funeral is on Friday. But, after that, I really hope we can work things out. But, it might not be for a while after that."

"And, until then?" Jack asked.

"Friends?" Audrey asked, scared that he'd say no.

* * *

><p>"Of course," Jack said. He felt broken. He had always liked being her friend before they dated. But, he never thought he'd be going back to that. He was just glad he wasn't losing her permanently. He walked back to his office and got back to work. When he finally got through all of the day's paperwork, he decided to head home. No, not home. To his hotel room. Audrey was his home.<p>

Just as the elevator door was about to close to bring Jack to the parking lot, Audrey stopped it from closing. She got in. Jack wanted to say something. Anything that would lighten the mood. To show her that he was okay with being friends for now.

"Did you have a lot of paperwork to do today?" Audrey asked, not letting the elevator ride consist of an awkward silence.

"Yeah," Jack said. "Remind me never to miss a day of work again. What about you?"

"Not that much. I think my father lightened the load for me a little bit. He was going to make me miss this entire week."

"Probably took it from you and gave it to me based on how much I had," Jack said, jokingly.

"Sorry," Audrey said.

"I was kidding," Jack said. "It wasn't that bad."

Audrey smiled slightly at him before stepping out of the elevator. "Goodnight, Jack."

"Goodnight," Jack said, wanting so badly to kiss her. Instead he got into his car and watched as Audrey got into her car and drove away.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 5

On Thursday, Audrey went to the wake for Paul that his brother had arranged. Audrey felt guilty and out of place. Guilty because she had left him and was dating the man responsible for his death. And, out of place because Paul's family never cared for her much, especially after she left him. She didn't belong there.

"Audrey," Paul's brother, Matt, said walking towards her.

"Hi Matt," Audrey said.

"What are you doing here?" Matt asked.

"I'm Paul's wife," Audrey said, confused.

"Yeah, but you left him months ago. Didn't care much about him then?" Matt said.

"That's not fair," Audrey said, defensively.

"No, what's not fair is that you left him. He loved you, but you left." Matt told her. "You shouldn't be here. Please leave."

Audrey was shocked, but stood up to leave. She fought back the urge to cry. She had been waiting all week for this. She just wanted to say goodbye. She wanted this time to get rid of all her guilt and feel well enough to move on with her life.

Just as Audrey got to the door, Matt called out to her, "Please don't go tomorrow either."

* * *

><p>Jack had barely finished any of his work that day. He was determined to finish before leaving.<p>

"You shouldn't be here this late," Secretary Heller said. Jack saw that it was only seven and realized that Heller had no idea how late he would stay. He and Audrey used to work even later into the night than seven together.

"I just wanted to finish some things up," Jack said.

"You can do that tomorrow," Heller said. Jack smiled knowing Heller wouldn't let up.

"Fine," Jack said, giving in. He got up and walked out with Heller.

"How are things with Audrey?" Heller asked after a minute of silence.

"Fine," Jack said, not sure how to explain it. Jack never thought of how strange it would be once Heller had found out about them.

"I'm sorry," Heller said, apologizing for being nosy. "It's just if I don't ask I know Audrey will never tell me."

Jack looked down apologetically. He had wanted to tell Heller from the beginning but Audrey had begged him not to. Now thinking about it, he wondered if there was more to it than her being afraid of what he'd say because she was still married. Sure, some of it had been because she was always trying to impress her father and was afraid to disappoint him. But, maybe, she just didn't think it was going to work. Or, maybe, she was thinking about going back to Paul even before the day he died. Jack felt sick with the thought.

"You okay, Jack?" Heller asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow, sir."

* * *

><p>Audrey had gone home angry. She could believe that Matt didn't like her. But, she never thought he'd kick her out of Paul's wake and funeral. It wasn't fair. She decided to try and put it out of her mind. She didn't need a stupid funeral to say goodbye. She was stronger than that.<p>

* * *

><p>"I wondered when I'd see you here again," Jack heard from behind a few minutes after he sat down at the hotel's bar.<p>

"Rachel," Jack said, hoping he'd gotten the name right. She didn't say anything so he assumed he was right. "How do you like D.C.?"

"It's nice," Rachel said sitting next to him. "Haven't found an apartment yet but that's okay. How are your girl troubles?"

Jack took a long sip of his beer to answer. He wondered if Rachel was flirting with him but figured it was unlikely. He didn't want her to anyways.

"That bad huh?" Rachel asked.

"No," Jack said. "I just make things worse by thinking about it."

"Then don't think about it," Rachel said. Jack was too busy thinking about how he could stop thinking about Audrey to stop Rachel's lips from landing on his. He was about to push her away but realized how much he had missed having physical contact. With Audrey. Jack pulled away after a couple seconds and apologized. He put down his money on the counter for his drink and went to his room.

Jack wanted so badly to call Audrey and apologize to her. But, what did he have to apologize for? Technically, they weren't dating. She had broken up with him. But, she had also told him that she hoped they would work things out, which is exactly what he had wanted. He laid down on the bed wishing that Audrey would be next to him soon.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thanks for reading. Reviews are always appreciated!_

Chapter 6

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked, confused.

"Working," Audrey said.

Jack wasn't sure if he should leave her be. He thought about it for a minute and then sat down next to her. Shouldn't she be at Paul's funeral?

"Do you need help?" Jack asked. Audrey looked up from her papers at him.

"Why not?" Audrey said. "If you don't have anything better to do."

Jack helped her get through her work but paid careful attention to the clock. At lunchtime, Jack asked Audrey if she wanted to get lunch with him.

"Sure," Audrey said. Jack helped her into her coat and led her outside.

"Where do you want to go?" Jack asked.

"Wherever," Audrey said. They walked until they got to a restaurant that they had been to a couple times together.

* * *

><p>Audrey immediately picked up her menu and hid her face. She knew he'd be looking at her and wondering why she was so upset. She didn't want to talk about it. She'd get over it eventually. As soon as she placed her order, she knew Jack would ask what was bothering her. To her surprise, he didn't. In fact, he didn't talk at all.<p>

* * *

><p>There was nothing to say. He knew she wouldn't want him to ask what was wrong. But, he wanted to so badly. Maybe she'd found about his kiss with Rachel. No, she wouldn't care about that. Or would she?<p>

"Jack," Audrey said. Jack looked up at her realizing that more time had passed than he'd expected.

"Yeah," Jack said.

"Thanks for helping me with my work today," Audrey said.

"Anytime," Jack said. She couldn't get too mad at him for asking, could she? "So why'd you come to work today? You were supposed to go to Paul's funeral."

Jack saw Audrey look down. "Paul's brother asked me to leave the wake last night and told me that I shouldn't go to the funeral today."

"Why'd you listen to him?" Jack asked.

"He was right," Audrey said. "I shouldn't have been there. I left Paul. And, the only reason Paul was even in LA was because of me. He never should have been there. He never should have died."

"Audrey," Jack said. "It's not your fault that he's dead. And, as for leaving him, you told me once that you didn't think he cared."

"Well, maybe I was wrong," Audrey said.

"Does Paul's brother know that you were going to get back together with him?" Jack asked. He hated admitting it was true but knew it was. That was the real reason she'd been so upset.

* * *

><p>"I wasn't," Audrey said, hating that Jack thought that was true.<p>

"Right," Jack said.

"Really, Jack," Audrey said. "I was going to take care of him until he recovered, but I still planned to get a divorce."

"Really?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Audrey assured him. Audrey reached across the table and grabbed Jack's hand. "I cared about Paul but I loved you."

The food came giving them a minute of silence. Audrey hated it.

"So, what have you been up to?" Audrey asked.

"Nothing," Jack said, looking down intently on his food.

"That sounds fun," Audrey said sarcastically.

"Audrey," Jack said. "I really miss you."

"I'm right here, Jack," Audrey said.

"I know. I just mean," Jack started. "Never mind."

* * *

><p>They finished the rest of their lunch in silence and walked back to work. Jack went back to his office. He wished that things would go back to normal. Even if it was just them being friends. He just hated feeling like he should apologize every second. When he got to the hotel that night, he stopped himself from going to the bar. He didn't want to make a habit of it. He also didn't want to see Rachel. But, inevitably, she hopped into the elevator right after him.<p>

"Hey Jack," Rachel said.

"Hi," Jack said, pushing the button with the number three. "What floor?"

"Funny. Looks like we're on the same one," Rachel said. "So, about last night, I'm sorry for kissing you. Unless you were okay with it in which case I'm really not."

"It's okay," Jack said.

"It's okay meaning you accept my apology? Or, it's okay that I did it?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know," Jack said. He agreed that she shouldn't have kissed him. But, he didn't exactly stop her at first. Audrey was the reason he had. Not going to Paul's funeral would probably set their relationship back a little. Or, maybe a lot. He didn't really know.

* * *

><p>Audrey went out with some friends that night to try and stop thinking about everything. Her friends knew not to talk about. They talked for hours about random things until Audrey finally went home. She was so tired that she fell immediately to sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>The next morning, Jack felt horrible. He fought the urge to throw the alarm clock across the room and instead turned it off clumsily. He groaned as he sat up. He felt like he was having a hangover. He didn't have even a single drink last night. That's when he noticed Rachel laying in the spot next to him. What had he done? And, based on how tired he was, how many times? He looked at the clock and saw that he was going to be late and got ready quickly.<p>

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked, just as Jack was about to leave. "If you're going to have a one night stand you really shouldn't do it in your own room."

"I'm late for work," Jack said, walking out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy and Review._

Chapter 7

It wasn't until Jack was half way to work that he realized it was a Saturday. He thought about heading back to the hotel but decided against it. He was sure he could find something to do. He worked on small insignificant tasks that kept him busy. Around noon, he looked up and saw Audrey looking at him curiously from the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked.

"Long enough to know that you're obviously pretty focused," Audrey said.

"Right," Jack said, nervously. "Did you need something?"

"Jack, it's a Saturday. Why are you here?" Audrey asked.

"I don't have anything better to do," Jack said. "Why are you here?"

"I forgot my coat yesterday," Audrey said, holding up her coat for him to see. "Come on. You're not spending your day here."

* * *

><p>She took his hand and led him out of the building. Jack noticed for the first time that it was extremely nice outside. They walked down the street together.<p>

After a couple minutes, Audrey realized she was still holding Jack's hand. She let it go not wanting rush back into things with him. She figured Jack must've noticed by the saddened expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," Audrey said, unsure of what else to say.

"It's fine," Jack said, but Audrey could tell he was lying.

"You don't have to pretend that everything's okay," Audrey told him. "You're allowed to be angry with me."

"I'm not mad at you," Jack said, gruffly.

"Yes, you are," Audrey said, reading right through his façade.

"I'm not mad. Just frustrated," Jack said.

"Okay," Audrey said, satisfied that he showed emotion. "I'm sorry."

After a minute, she continued, "Where have you been staying?"

Jack took out his key card because he forgot the name. Audrey looked at it and remembered the room number too in case there was ever an emergency.

* * *

><p>"I wish none of that stuff ever happened," Jack said, looking down at the rock he was kicking.<p>

"Me too," Audrey said.

"Are we ever going to be able to go back to what we had?" Jack asked sadly, anticipating the answer.

"I hope so," Audrey said.

"Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?" Jack asked, hoping it wasn't too soon to ask her. Audrey didn't answer after a second. He saved her from answering. "Nevermind."

He walked away quickly. He heard Audrey call after him, but he didn't look back. He walked back to his car and drove to the hotel. He immediately went to the bar and got a drink. He drank one beer after another until he felt dizzy. He managed to get back up to his room. He couldn't have been more upset when he saw Rachel still sitting in his bed.

"Why are you still here?" Jack asked, angrily.

"Is your job a professional drinker?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, I have a girl-" Jack stopped and thought about it for a second. No he didn't have a girlfriend. He had a woman who clearly didn't want to be with him anymore. "Nevermind."

In a matter of milliseconds, Jack felt Rachel's lips on his and her hands lifting his shirt.

* * *

><p>Audrey was confused. He hadn't even given her a chance to respond. What's worse is that she was about to say yes. She hadn't been able to catch up to him to answer either. She was glad that she had remembered where he was staying because this was definitely an emergency.<p>

She went up to the third floor and found his room quickly. She knocked softly. He didn't answer so she knocked louder. She tried a couple more times before sitting down outside his door. Sooner or later he'd have to come out.

In the morning, Audrey was awoken by the sound of Jack's door opening. She stood up quickly to see him. Then she felt her heart fall into her stomach and her eyes fill with tears. Instead of seeing Jack she saw a woman who had obviously spent the night. The woman looked up and Audrey immediately recognized her.

"Hey, you're that lady from the plane," the woman said. Audrey just stared at her in shock. Audrey watched as the woman put the pieces together. "The guy you were talking about is Jack."

Audrey pushed past her and ran to the elevator. She got into her car and drove away with tears streaming down her face.

* * *

><p>Jack lay in bed thinking about Audrey. He knew he was only sleeping with Rachel to try to forget the pain he'd been feeling around Audrey. He picked up the phone wanting to apologize to her. Of course, he didn't plan on telling her about Rachel but he would apologize for expecting so much from her so soon. The phone rang a couple times and then went to voicemail. He hung up not wanting to seem like a coward for apologizing over the phone.<p>

He got dressed and drove to his and Audrey's home. Audrey opened the door. Jack could tell she'd been crying.

"I'm sorry," Jack said quickly wanting to get it out there.

"God, Jack," Audrey said. "It's bad enough thinking that you don't think I want to be with you anymore."

"I'm sorry. I know you need time to figure everything out. I shouldn't expect you to be able to answer that quickly."

"What?" Audrey asked sounding confused.

"Yesterday," Jack said. "I shouldn't have expected you to answer that quickly."

* * *

><p>Audrey stepped backwards and slammed the door in his face. The woman from the plane must not have told him about their run-in this morning. She heard Jack knocking but decided to ignore it wishing she had somebody inside with her to make him feel as jealous as she did.<p>

* * *

><p>Jack drove back to his hotel confused. He had apologized. Why had she been so upset? He saw Rachel at the bar but walked past and headed for his room. Unfortunately, Rachel caught up.<p>

"You okay?" Rachel asked.

"Fine," Jack said.

"I met your girlfriend this morning," Rachel said. Jack looked confused. "Well, actually, I met her last week on a plane. This morning she was waiting outside your room."

"Dammit," Jack said.

"What? You've been making it sound like it's over between you two," Rachel said.

"It's not," Jack said.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Hope you enjoy! Don't expect frequent updates though because this is my busy season. Getting free time to write will be scarce. Reviews are appreciated though._

Chapter 8

He refused to let it be over. It just couldn't be. He loved her too much. Jack paced around his hotel room thinking about what to do. God, he'd do anything.

* * *

><p>Audrey showed up to work later than usual. She hadn't been feeling good ever since she found out about Jack sleeping with that woman from the plane. She hoped she wouldn't have to see him today. Her father came up from behind her and walked with her.<p>

"I need you and Jack to go over these defense contracts," Secretary Heller said as Audrey opened her office door.

"Of cou-" Audrey's words were stopped short. Her office was filled with her favorite blue colored roses.

"Wow," Heller said, looking at all the flowers. "Looks like someone really loves you."

"They're apology flowers, not love flowers," Audrey said, coldly. She grabbed the papers from her father and shooed him away. She shut the door behind her.

She questioned what she should do with all these flowers. Throw them away? Keep them and forgive Jack? Or, keep them and still be angry with him?

She picked up a couple blue roses and headed to the trash. She stopped short, remembering what the blue roses symbolized: impossibilities. Was Jack giving up? And, just like that she put the roses back into the vase. She definitely was not giving up. Maybe Jack just knew they were her favorite color of roses. Maybe he didn't know what they represented. She grabbed the files and walked to Jack's office determined to find out.

* * *

><p>Jack was surprised to see Audrey at his door. She didn't look angry. Nor, happy for the flowers. It didn't matter. She was here. He saw the file in her hand and sighed. Obviously this was about work. How could he be so stupid?<p>

"Secretary Heller wants us to look over this defense contract," Audrey said.

"Right," Jack said. "Come in."

They started working not mentioning anything about Rachel or the flowers. Just as Audrey was about to leave, Jack grabbed her hand to keep her there.

"Audrey," He started. "I'm really sorry. I don't know what else I can say besides that. But, if you think of something I can do, anything really, I will."

"So you're not giving up?" Audrey asked.

"Audrey, did you not see all the flowers I got you?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, but blue roses mean impossibility. I thought you were trying to say that this was impossible," Audrey explained.

"Audrey," Jack said smiling slightly. "I'm a guy. Guys don't know what roses stand for. I just knew you liked blue roses."

"I only mentioned it once. How'd you remember?" Audrey asked.

"I remember everything you've ever told me about yourself," Jack said.

* * *

><p>"Really?" Audrey asked, unsure.<p>

"Of course," Jack said. Audrey smiled, wanting so badly to kiss him. She stepped back thinking about how his lips had been with the woman on the plane. It made her heart ache. What if she could never kiss him again without thinking about that?

She walked back to her office gathering up some of the roses and bringing them to her car to take home. She would leave a couple at work.

The next day, Audrey walked into her office to find chocolate candies spread around her desk. They were arranged in a heart and Audrey smiled. The entire week, Audrey would find new gifts from Jack. She wasn't sure what to do anymore. She didn't want him to keep buying her stuff. But, she wasn't ready to except him back yet.

* * *

><p>Jack was getting impatient. He knew he'd wait forever for Audrey to forgive him but it was hard to wait when she was the only thing in the world that he wanted. He put it out of his mind and tried to watch television. His cell phone rang and he jumped up to answer it hoping it was Audrey. It wasn't but at least Kim would help him get his mind off of her.<p>

"Kim," Jack said excitedly.

"Hi, dad," Kim said.

"How are you? Is everything okay?" Jack asked.

"Yes, I was calling to make sure you're okay. You don't usually wait this long in between calls," Kim said.

"I'm sorry. I've just been really busy," Jack said.

"Lot of work?" Kim asked.

"No," Jack said.

"Oh," Kim said. "Then, is everything okay with Audrey?"

"Fine," Jack lied.

"Uh-oh. What happened?" Kim asked.

"Nothing," Jack said.

"Right," Kim said. "Come on, you can tell me."

"We're just not on the greatest terms right now," Jack said.

"Well, I hope things get better," Kim said. "I have to go. I'm sorry. I hope you and Audrey work things out."

"Bye, Kim," Jack said. They hung up and Jack went back to trying to watch T.V.

* * *

><p>On Saturday, Audrey invited Jack out for breakfast. They sat down and Audrey got right to the point.<p>

"I'm not ready for this. I know how hard you've been trying, but I can't stop thinking of- well everything that's happened," Audrey said. She saw Jack's head droop a little and hoped he didn't hate her.

"Okay," Jack said, standing up to leave.

"No, please, don't go. I-I just need some time to figure out if this is what I want," Audrey said.

"Isn't that what you said to Paul?" Jack asked bitterly.

"It's different. I love you. I know I do. I just can't stop picturing you with her," Audrey said.

"And, time is somehow going to fix that?" Jack asked.

"I think so. I want to see other people. And, if it doesn't kill you inside like you sleeping with that woman killed me then I don't think this is going to work," Audrey said.

Audrey expected him to have a comeback. But, he just nodded and sat back down for breakfast. They ate in complete silence.

* * *

><p>Jack went back to his hotel room after breakfast and tried to take his mind off of Audrey. Instead he lay on his stomach on the bed knowing how hard this would be. He could feel tears rolling down his cheek. What was with that? He didn't cry. And, it's not like Audrey was completely getting rid of him. All he'd have to do is show Audrey how much it hurt him to see her with someone else. There was no doubt in his mind that he would, in fact, be upset. It killed him just thinking about her being with someone else.<p>

But, what if this made things worse? What if she actually fell in love with this guy? She had said the same thing to Paul about needing some time and ended up in a relationship with him. What if, after seeing her with somebody else, Jack wasn't able to think of her without thinking of her with that other guy?

This was too hard.

* * *

><p>Audrey felt relieved after having breakfast with Jack. She knew how much it killed him inside, but she needed this. It was too hard not to think of him being with the woman from the plane. She was so pretty. Did Jack actually think it would make him feel better to sleep with her? Did it?<p>

She pushed the thoughts away and put on a movie. The movie just made her think of all the times they had watched movies together knowing full well that Jack wasn't actually watching. He would always be looking at her. She cursed herself for thinking about him and shut off the movie.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Sorry for the wait. But, i did warn you. Reviews are always appreciated._

Chapter 9

A week later, Audrey had a date. She had met this guy at a bar a few nights earlier and he seemed nice and fun. Now sitting across from him, she couldn't be more bored. He was still nice, but he didn't have sense of humor or even have interesting things to talk about. She wondered what Jack was doing. Or maybe even who.

She felt sick just thinking about it and tried to focus on what the guy across from her was saying. She realized he wasn't saying anything. He was looking at her as if he had asked her a question.

"I'm sorry. What?" Audrey asked.

"I asked if you were okay," the man said. "You looked like you were going to pass out or something."

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine," Audrey replied.

"I'm sorry, Audrey. But, I don't think this is going to work," the man said.

"Me neither," Audrey replied.

"But, if you want, you can still come to my place-" the man started. Audrey was already standing up and headed for the door angrily. The man shrugged and finished his meal.

Audrey walked outside. What was with men these days? Before if a man was a jerk, he'd at least pretend to like you until he got you into bed. Now they told you straight up that they don't think things are going to work and ask to sleep with you anyways?

"Hey," a voice said from behind her as she walked. She turned around already knowing it was Jack.

"Following me?" She asked.

* * *

><p>"Seems that way, doesn't it?" Jack replied making her wonder if he had actually been following her to see how her date went.<p>

When she didn't respond, Jack said, "I'm joking. I was having dinner with someone."

"Me too," Audrey said.

"I know," Jack said.

"If you weren't following me, how did you know?" Audrey asked.

"Your clothes, makeup, hair," Jack said. She always dressed in simple dresses on their dates and her makeup was always a little darker around her eyes. Her hair was down with a slight wave in it. "I'm guessing it didn't go well."

"Obviously yours didn't either," Audrey said.

"No mine went great," Jack said.

"Then where is she?" Audrey asked.

"First, do you really think I'd mess things up between us more than they already are? Isn't sleeping with someone how we ended up like this in the first place. And, second, I wasn't on a date. I said I was having dinner with someone. My daughter."

* * *

><p>"Oh," Audrey said, feeling stupid.<p>

"So," Jack started. "What happened on your date?"

"It was just boring," Audrey said. Jack walked Audrey the rest of the way home, like she knew he would. They stopped at the door before Audrey went inside.

"Audrey," Jack said.

"Yeah?" Audrey asked.

"I miss you. A lot," Jack said.

"Goodnight Jack," Audrey said. She knew admitting to missing him would only cause her to breakdown and fall into his arms. Then again, maybe that is what she wanted. She walked inside.

* * *

><p>Jack sighed and walked back to the hotel. The next week went by painfully slow. He and Audrey hadn't spoken since he had walked her home. Jack knew Audrey had been going out on dates because one of Audrey's friends, Sarah, had been keeping him informed. Sarah seemed to think Audrey had figured out that she was telling him because Audrey wouldn't give he any details about the dates, good or bad. He was actually looking forward to the upcoming meeting just to see her.<p>

He went up to the conference room early hoping she would be there. She was. He gave a brief hello and sat across from her.

"How are you?" Audrey asked. He hadn't tried to talk to her all week. Was he mad at her for not saying that she missed him too?

"Bad," Jack said. At least he wasn't pretending to be okay. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but-"

* * *

><p>Secretary Heller walked in and Jack stopped. Audrey knew she wouldn't be able to focus on the meeting without knowing what he was about to ask.<p>

"Where is everyone?" Heller asked.

"You're early," Audrey told him hoping he would leave. But, instead everyone else from the office piled into the room, and the meeting started.

When the meeting was over, Audrey followed Jack to his office. She walked in without knocking. "What were you going to ask?"

* * *

><p>"Oh," Jack said. "Right. So, you've been going on dates?"<p>

"Yes," Audrey replied.

"How have they been going?" Jack asked.

"They're not you, Jack," Audrey said. Jack sighed with some relief.

"Are things ever going to go back to normal?" Jack asked. "Because, I don't how much more of this I can take."

"Me neither. This past week has been brutal without seeing you," Audrey said.

Jack smiled cautiously, "So, do you want to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

* * *

><p>"Yes," Audrey answered immediately. She promised herself that she would apologize for everything soon enough. But, right now, she just wanted to be excited for their date.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Sorry it took so long. But, i warned you. Enjoy and review please!_

Chapter 10

Hair? Check. Makeup? Check. Audrey was pacing now making sure she wasn't forgetting anything. There was a knock on the door and Audrey quickly looked at the clock. He is twenty minutes early. She answered the door nervously.

"You're here early," she said while opening the door. When the door was open enough for her to see him, she realized it wasn't Jack. The man pushed the door the rest of the way open and grabbed Audrey by the arm. Audrey tried to scream, but the man clasped his hand over her mouth before she could. She tried to fight him off, but the man was much stronger. He dragged her outside and closed the door to Audrey's house. He put her in the trunk of his car.

* * *

><p>Jack couldn't help but feel nervous for their date. He made one final mental checklist to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He grabbed his keys and headed for his car<p>

* * *

><p>She could feel the car starting and the man driving away. She screamed knowing that it was of no use. After a while, the car stopped. The trunk door opened and Audrey screamed hoping someone would hear her. The man put a piece of duck tape over her mouth then pulled her out of the trunk. She looked around and realized they were in the middle of nowhere. There probably wasn't a single person in a ten-mile radius.<p>

The man held on to Audrey's arm and fished through the trunk for rope. When he found it, he tied Audrey's hands and legs. He brought her around to the front seat and let her sit there. He went around to the driver's seat and started the car. He drove off again.

* * *

><p>Jack knocked on the door, for a third time. His heart sank a little. Had she forgotten? He walked morosely back to his car. He grabbed his cell phone and decided to call her. There was no answer.<p>

How could she have forgotten? It was her idea. He started his car and drove back to the hotel. He thought about it more when he got there. He went to the bar hoping to drown out his horrible night. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, Rachel sat down next to him.

"Hey," Rachel said. "Bad night?"

"You could say that," Jack said.

"Something with your girlfriend?" Rachel asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Jack replied.

"It might make you feel better," she said. Jack thought for a minute. What harm could it do?

"We were supposed to go out tonight," Jack said.

"What happened?" Rachel asked.

"I went to pick her up and she wasn't there," Jack said.

"God, what is wrong with that woman? Honestly, the only thing that would keep me from going on a date with someone as hot as you would be if I got kidnapped or died or something like that," Rachel said. She looked up at Jack and saw him quickly pulling out his wallet and finding money so he could leave. "Relax, Jack, I wasn't coming on to you."

"No, I know," Jack said. "I have to go."

He ran out to his car. What if something horrible had happened to Audrey? He knew it might be crazy but then again maybe not. Stranger things have happened. Jack thought back to when he had gone to pick her up and whether there was any sign that something was wrong. He remembered that the light was on inside. If Audrey really had been home she would have at least opened the door to tell him that she didn't want to go. He rushed to her place just hoping she was okay.

* * *

><p>They were finally stopping for good this time. Outside, Audrey saw an abandoned building. Right in the middle of nowhere. The man came around to her side of the car and took her out. He led her inside the building and sat her down in an empty room. He left the room closing the door behind him.<p>

Audrey's legs were still tied but she tried to get to the door anyways. She managed to get there and, of course, found it locked. She went back to the chair and started to cry. What did he want with her? Would he ever let her go? She tried to stay calm but couldn't. Then she remembered. Jack. He was supposed to pick her up a while ago. He probably realized she was missing. She hoped he'd realize. She had to believe he'd find her.

* * *

><p>Jack found the door to be unlocked. Audrey was nowhere to be found. It didn't seem like there was any kind of struggle. He tried to call her again, but this time he knew she didn't have her phone. It was ringing in her purse by the door. If Audrey just left, she would've taken her purse and her phone. Jack called the police. They might be able to find her. Not that he would stop looking. The police told him to stay where he was and that they would be there soon. In the meantime, Jack called Secretary Heller.<p>

"What do you mean she's missing?" Heller asked. "Nevermind, I'll be there in five minutes."

Jack hung up and waited.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: So this is short but i wanted to post something before everyone thought i completely gave up. I just never have any free time in the spring, but now i should be gradually getting more time to work on my story. Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 11

"We'd like to ask you a few questions, Mr. Bauer," an officer said, indicating towards a chair for Jack to sit down. Jack sat down. He felt dizzy and sick. "When was the last time you spoke to Ms. Raines?"

"Yesterday at work. Around five thirty," Jack said, trying to help as much as possible. "And why were you here tonight?" The officer asked.

"Audrey and I had a date," Jack said.

"Could you tell me what happened once you got here?" asked the officer.

Jack thought for a minute and then answered, "The first time I came by I knocked but she didn't answer so I got in my car and left. Then I came back and went in and she wasn't here but her purse, phone, and jacket were all here."

Jack saw Heller pull up from the window. Heller walked in. He didn't look happy.

"What the hell happened?" He asked. Jack repeated what he had just said. Heller was speechless.

"How long do you think she's been gone?" Heller asked.

"Half an hour at the least," Jack said.

Another officer approached them and spoke. "I'm sorry, but there is no evidence of any kind that indicates that Ms. Raines was kidnapped. Without evidence we can't investigate until twenty-four hours have passed or until new evidence is provided proving otherwise is presented."

* * *

><p>The man came back near Audrey and kneeled down next to her. Audrey glared at him angrily as he took the duck tape off her mouth. She immediately screamed hoping that someone might hear, but knowing that there was nobody. The man pulled out a gun and put the barrel into her mouth.<p>

"Do that again and I will shoot you," he warned. "Got it?"

Audrey nodded and the man took out the gun. Audrey now noticed that the man had brought a pizza box with him.

"Would you like a piece?" He asked.

"What the hell do you want?" Audrey asked, feeling tears coming to her eyes.

"I want to know if you want a slice," he said, avoiding her question.

"No," Audrey said coldly.

"I'm not offering this again until tomorrow night," he warned.

"Screw you," Audrey said. The man put the duck tape back on and took the pizza box with him into the section of room with the desk. He sat down and started eating while looking at the computer screen.

* * *

><p>"We'll find her," Heller said. "We don't need them."<p>

They had been sitting in silence for about ten minutes after the police left.

"We have nothing to go off of," Jack said. "Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to kidnap her?"

"No," Heller said. "I guess anyone who has something against me. But, nobody sticks out."

"Alright. I guess we start there," Jack said. He felt so helpless. Audrey could be anywhere with anyone.

"We should go to DOD to see what we can find about recent threats against me," Heller said. Jack nodded and followed behind Heller to the office.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 12

"Hungry yet?" the man asked taking the duck tape off her mouth the next night.

"No," Audrey said, truthfully. She hadn't thought much about eating. "What do you want from me?"

"From you? Nothing," the man answered.

"Then why the hell am I here?" Audrey asked.

"My son," the man said, simply, as if he had explained everything.

"What about your son?" Audrey asked, getting frustrated but also happy that he was finally answering her.

"Your boyfriend murdered him," the man said.

"When?" Audrey asked, feeling angry with Jack.

"A month ago," the man replied.

"A month ago? As in the day of the terrorist attacks. What are the chances my boyfriend killed your son for being a terrorist?" Audrey asked, angrily.

"He wasn't a terrorist," the man said, obviously trying to protect his son's reputation. "He was doing what he thought was right."

"You mean bombing a train and then planning my father's execution?" Audrey asked. "Oh and let's not forget the nuclear warhead."

"He had nothing to do with the warhead!" the man yelled.

"What about the other stuff?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah, he was involved in your father's kidnapping. That's how he died. Your boyfriend shot him," the man explained.

"Funny. That's exactly what he's going to do to you," Audrey warned.

"We'll see about that."

* * *

><p>Jack and Heller were at a standstill. There were always a significant number of threats on people with political power. None of them stood out as anything special. Now what could they do?<p>

"Maybe we should try again tomorrow morning?" Heller suggested.

"I'm not ready to give up yet," Jack said.

"We're not giving up," Heller assured him. "But, we have nothing, Jack. We need to rethink things and regroup tomorrow."

Jack thought about it for a minute, "Fine."

They walked out together silently. Jack drove back to the hotel and walked slowly up to his room.

"What happened to you last night?" A voice asked, making him jump a little when he walked around the corner. It was Rachel.

"It's nothing," Jack said. "Except…"

"What?" Rachel asked.

"What made you say what you said last night? About the kidnapping thing," Jack asked.

"Uh," Rachel said, thinking of the conversation. "We were talking about how stupid your 'girlfriend' was and I said that the only reason I would ever stand you up for a date would be if I were kidnapped. Or dead."

"Right," Jack said. "Well it just so happens that that might be the case."

"Woah," Rachel said. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. She's not at our place and she left her purse and phone," Jack said, looking at Rachel suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that," Rachel said. "I have no idea. I swear. Have you tried calling her again? Maybe she went for a run or something that didn't involve her purse or phone. Maybe you're trying to make excuses for her."

"Goodnight Rachel," Jack said coldly, ending their conversation. When he walked into his room he called Audrey's phone again but there was still no answer. Rachel was wrong. He was sure of it.

The next morning Jack woke up late and cursed himself. He was supposed to be trying to find Audrey. He ran downstairs but not without running into Rachel first.

"So about last night," Rachel started.

"Forget about it," Jack said.

"Jack, stop!" Rachel yelled to him as he rushed ahead of her. She finished once he was out of earshot, "I have something to tell you."

* * *

><p>Audrey sat in the chair silently. The man was now allowing her to not wear the duck tape over her mouth.<p>

"I'm hungry now," Audrey admitted. The man walked over to her and pulled out his gun and his knife. He cut the ropes that tied her hands together so she could hold the now cold pizza.

"Don't try anything stupid," he warned, holding the gun to the back of her head. She finished her pizza and the man tied her hands back up.

"What's your name?" Audrey asked, trying to get him to open up.

"Why the hell do you care?" he asked.

"Humor me," Audrey said.

"Zak," he said.

"How exactly is this thing going to work?" Audrey asked. "I mean you can't except Jack to just find me."

"I'm just making your boyfriend sweat it out a little," Zak said.

"Then what?" Audrey asked.

"I'll call him and tell him where to find you," Zak said. "Then, I'll shoot him."

"You're making a big mistake. You could just walk away from all of this," Audrey told him.

"Not without my revenge."


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: No Audrey in this one. Just Jack. Please review if you are still reading this._

Chapter 13

"What the hell do you want?" Jack asked Rachel when he saw her waiting outside his door after he got back to the hotel.

"I was trying to tell you something earlier," Rachel said. Jack now had the door open and was ready to shut it on her. "Can I come in?"

"No," Jack said.

"Jack," Rachel begged. He moved to the side and let her in.

"What do you want?" Jack asked again.

"A while ago," Rachel started. "The first time we kissed. At the bar. Well, when you left there was this guy. And, he asked about you. Discreetly, you know?"

"Sure," Jack said. "Just, keep going."

"Okay," Rachel said. "Anyways, I told him what I knew about you and I might have told him about your girlfriend problems. And, later when your girlfriend was waiting outside your door for you and we had just slept together, I went back to the bar sometime that day. The man was there again. We talked and he asked me about why I looked so stressed and I told him about what had happened."

"Rachel, can you please skip to the point," Jack said.

"You're girlfriend was kidnapped and when you said that it made me think of when that guy kept asking about you and her. And, now that I think about it, it was really strange," Rachel said. "Maybe he had something to do with her disappearing."

"Rachel," Jack said. "I need you to think. What did he look like? Did he give you his name? Anything that could help me find him."

"Well," Rachel thought. "He had dark hair. Brown eyes. Tall and muscular. He had an accent. Something foreign."

"Any idea where from?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. Middle East maybe?" Rachel guessed.

"Okay did he give his name?" Jack asked.

"No," Rachel said thinking back. "I didn't really care enough to get it."

"Did he say anything that might help me find him?" Jack asked.

"I don't remember!" Rachel said. "Don't they have cameras or something?"

"Let's go see," Jack said. He and Rachel rushed down to the front desk.

"Hi, how can I help you?" the lady at the front desk asked.

"We need to talk to the head of security," Jack said. The woman looked unsure as to whether or not she was allowed to send people to the security room. "I work for the Department of Defense."

The woman led them to the security room and then went back to the front desk. Jack saw a man about his age looking at security footage. When Jack and Rachel walked in, he turned around.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"We need to see security footage from about a month ago. At the bar." Jack said.

"Why?" the security guard said.

"I work for the Department of Defense. I'm investigating a kidnapping," Jack explained.

The man turned around to the monitors. "Can you give me a specific day?"

Jack thought for a minute. The night he and Rachel had kissed. It was the day of Paul's wake. He gave the man the date and the guard rewound the tapes to it.

They went to where he and Rachel kissed. Then Jack left. Then another man sat next to Rachel.

"That's him!" Rachel said. The guard zoomed in and slowed down the tape.

"Do you want me to print out a frame?" the guard asked. Jack nodded. He was going to find him. He was their only lead.

Jack brought the picture to his office and was happy to see that Secretary Heller was still there. He decided to see if he could find more on this guy before bringing it to Heller. He scanned the picture through the computer and ran it through multiple databases. Eventually, he found a match.

Zak Aslan- age 49, wife: Tara, children: Ali: age 25, Mikail: age 22,deceased.

Jack read the file. He had come to the US only three years ago and brought his family with him. The information about his son's death was new. It was only updated a month ago. Jack looked up Mikail on the database and found out that he had been involved in Secretary Heller's kidnapping when he died.

Jack went upstairs to tell Heller. He didn't bother knocking. He told Heller what he had found and gave him the file he had printed out.

"Good," Heller said. "Keep looking into it. I want to know some things. Like, why Audrey? Why not kidnap me if he were trying to continue his son's work or something? And, where do we find him?"

Jack nodded and went back downstairs to work. It was almost ten, but Jack was determined to get Audrey back as soon as he possibly could.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Enjoy. Let me know what you think!_

Chapter 14

"Think I should call him soon?" Zak asked Audrey with a mischievous smile.

"No," Audrey said, coldly. The last thing she wanted was for Jack to come here. She had had time to think about what it would be like if Zak killed Jack. It sucked. First, she'd be hysterical. Then angry. Then sad. Just incredibly sad. It hurt her heart to think about Jack being dead. She wished she hadn't waited so long to get back together with him. What if he died and she never got to tell him how much she was truly in love with him?

"What do you think he's doing right now?" Zak asked. "Looking for you? Or, maybe he doesn't even care. Maybe he's already moved on. With Rachel maybe?"

"Screw you," Audrey said. She wondered how he knew about Rachel. Maybe, he had been tracking both her and Jack. Or maybe she had something to do with this. She made a mental note to find out when she got out of here. If she ever got out of here.

* * *

><p>"Sir, I've found properties owned by Zak Aslan. All of them are miles from civilization but all in DC, Maryland, or Virginia," Jack said not waiting for an invitation to enter Heller's office.<p>

"Jack," Heller said. "I can't authorize a search on someone's property. We have no solid proof that Zak Aslan has anything to do with Audrey's kidnapping."

"Sir," Jack protested. "I'm sure of it. If we're wrong, fine. But, if we're right, we can find Audrey."

"Like I said. I can't authorize it," Heller said. "But, where you go on your time off that I'm making you use now is none of my business."

Jack smiled. "I'll find her."

"Let me know as soon as you do," Heller said. Jack turned around to leave. "Jack, be careful."

"Yes, sir," Jack said. He rushed to the hotel and grabbed two guns and some extra ammo. He walked out of his room and Rachel happened to be walking down the hall.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked.

"Don't you have something better to do with your time than follow me?" Jack asked.

"I'm not following you," Rachel said. "I was about to go for a run."

"Well, have fun," Jack said, getting into the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked.

"To find Audrey," Jack said.

"You know where she is?" Rachel asked.

"Maybe," Jack said.

"Can I come?" Rachel asked.

"No."

"Why not?" Rachel asked. They got out of the elevator and started walking out. Jack stopped her and pulled her aside.

"Are you serious?" Jack asked. "It's your fault she's missing."

"I didn't know that man wanted to kidnap her. I swear," Rachel said.

Jack started walking again. "Sorry, if I don't believe you. I have trust issues."

"Please Jack," Rachel begged. "It's my fault she was kidnapped. So, can't I try to fix it?"

Jack thought for a minute. He didn't know how many people he was going to be up against. "You don't have experience with this kind of stuff. You could die."

"You've never once asked me what my job is," Rachel said. "I'm a cop. I think I understand the risk."

"You can shoot?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Rachel said.

"Fine," Jack said. "You can come."

Jack walked her to his car and she got into the passengers seat. Jack knew this wasn't a good idea. But, he would need someone to cover him if there was trouble.

"In the back seat there are two vests get them," Jack told her as he started the car. She picked them up off the seat and handed one to Jack. They put them on quickly. "This is how this is going to work. I'm in charge. You do as I say, or you leave.

"If something happens to me, you had better get the hell out and contact the Secretary of Defense. Make sure he gets Audrey. And, this is not an authorized mission. You cannot say you're a cop or say anything about the government being involved. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Rachel said. Jack was already driving. "Where are we going?"

"Six different places. The guy you identified, Aslan, I'm sure he'll have Audrey on one of them," Jack said.

The first three stops were empty. It was starting to get dark and Jack and Rachel decided to go to one more. When they showed up it was completely different. There were men with guns surrounding the entire area.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Why isn't he picking up?" Zak asked.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Audrey replied.

Zak's phone rang and he opened it as quickly as he could. "What?"

Audrey could vaguely make out what the person on the other line was saying. "There's been shooting at location D."

"Why?" Zak asked.

"There are two trespassers. We believe one of them is Jack Bauer," the other man said.

"Do not kill him," Zak ordered. "Capture him and bring him to me."

"Yes sir," the man said. Zak hung up and looked at Audrey.

"Looks like Jack will be here sooner than we thought." Zak picked up his gun and made sure it was loaded and ready.

* * *

><p>Jack and Rachel ducked behind the car. Jack popped up and shot a few men in the time it took Rachel to shoot one.<p>

"There are too many," Rachel said.

"Just keep shooting," Jack said. He shot a few more but more men replaced them. Rachel also started shooting more men and they managed to get all the men outside the building.

"Are we going in now?" Rachel asked after watching Jack sit by the car for minute.

"We're out of bullets," Jack said.

"So, what do we do?" Rachel asked.

"Give me your gun," Jack said. Rachel tossed it to him gently. Jack looked and saw that she had three shots left. He threw her his keys. "Take the car and drive yourself back to the hotel."

"You're going to go in alone?" Rachel asked.

"Thanks Rachel," Jack said. "I couldn't have done this without your help. But, you need to go now."

Rachel got in the car and Jack moved so she could leave. He walked cautiously into the building with his gun ready. He walked around a corner and saw a man who he shot without thinking. Two bullets. He looked to see if the man had a gun but he didn't. Jack kept moving. Two hallways later, Jack saw another man. Jack snuck behind him and held the gun to his head.

"Don't move," Jack said. "Put your gun on the ground. Slowly."

The man listened to Jack. Jack picked up the gun keeping his gun on the man. "Where is Audrey?"

"She's not here," the man said.

"Where is she?" Jack asked.

"I won't tell you," the man said. Jack was about to lodge a bullet in the man's head when he was knocked unconscious.

When he awoke, he was in a different building. He was sitting next to Audrey who was crying hysterically. There was no one else around.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked Audrey wishing he weren't tied to a chair so he could go up to Audrey and hold her.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Audrey asked.

"I'm fine," Jack said.

"Me too," Audrey said.

"He didn't hurt you?" Jack asked.

"No," Audrey answered. "But, we have to get out of here. He wants to kill you."

They heard the door handle turning and Zak walked in. Behind him was Rachel.

"Sorry Jack. I didn't think I hit you that hard," Rachel said. Jack cursed himself for trusting her.

* * *

><p>Audrey shifted her hands. She had been working on getting the rope loose since she was first tied. Zak was explaining himself to Jack, and Jack stared at him indifferently.<p>

"Now I'm going to kill you," Zak announced taking out his gun and pointing it at Jack. Audrey wrestled the rope off of her hands as fast as she could. Just as Zak was about to shoot, Audrey jumped in the way. The gun went off and the bullet went into Audrey's shoulder. She managed to knock the gun out of Zak's hand and it fell to the floor next to her.

The pain was unbearable, but Audrey picked up the gun and aimed it at Zak. She saw Zak move towards her and she fired the gun. Audrey knew she was losing a lot of blood. She could tell Jack was trying to say something to her but she couldn't hear anything. She tried to find Rachel, who was already gone. Audrey worked her way to a sitting position feeling as though she was about to pass out. She worked on trying to get Jack's hands free. The rope came undone.

"Hold on," Jack said. "I'm going to call an ambulance."

He found a cell phone in Zak's pocket and dialed. He talked on the phone while hovering over Audrey. He applied pressure to the wound. When he got through to the ambulance, he told them what was going on. But, he didn't know where they were. He got up and looked around the room and found the address. When he hung up, Audrey was struggling to breath.

"Audrey," Jack said, worriedly.

"I-" Audrey started.

"Don't talk," Jack told her. "It'll drain your energy."

"But-" Audrey insisted. She found it hard for her to talk. "I need you to know. That I love you so much."

"I love you too," Jack told her. "I don't think it hit the bone. You're going to be fine."

"I should've forgiven you," Audrey muttered.

"No," Jack said. "It doesn't matter. We have the rest of our lives together."

Audrey smiled at him. The ambulance showed up seconds later and took her away.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Last Chapter! Thanks for reading!_

Chapter 16

Jack paced in the waiting room nervously, as he waited for any kind of news on Audrey.

"Sit down Jack," Secretary Heller said watching Jack pace. "You're making me nervous."

"Sorry," Jack said, sitting down next to Heller.

"How bad was it?" Heller asked.

"I don't know," Jack said. "She lost a lot of blood. But, it didn't hit bone, I don't think."

Secretary Heller sighed. "Thank you for finding her, Jack."

* * *

><p>"I'm going to go talk to your family and then I'll let them come in, okay?" the doctor told Audrey.<p>

Audrey nodded and waited for Jack and her father to come in. When they did, Audrey smiled. Jack sat down next to her and she grabbed his hand. Her father sat down on the other side of the bed and noticed her arm was wrapped tightly in bandages.

"Did they say when you can leave?" Jack asked.

"The doctor wants me to stay overnight so I can get the stronger painkillers, but he said I could probably leave tomorrow," Audrey said. "Did they find Rachel?"

Jack shook his head. "Not yet."

"What did she have to do with this?" Audrey asked.

"She was engaged to Mikail Aslan," Heller answered.

"What a whore," Audrey mumbled, thinking of how she slept with Jack only shortly after her fiancée's death.

* * *

><p>Jack said nothing, feeling horrible about sleeping with her and trusting her. He barely knew her. He squeezed Audrey's hand, trying to tell her how sorry he was. He saw Audrey smile at him and he smiled back guiltily.<p>

* * *

><p>The next day, Audrey left the hospital, happily. Jack came to pick her up and walked her to the car. They walked hand-in-hand.<p>

"So, how about that date?" Audrey asked, as they walked.

"Are you going to stand me up again?" Jack asked.

Audrey laughed. "God, I hope not."

"Good," Jack said. They were at the car, and Jack stopped Audrey before letting her get in. He kissed her passionately, taking Audrey by surprise. Audrey kissed him back, never wanting him to pull away.

When he did, Audrey sighed and got in the car. As Jack drove, Audrey watched him knowing that she could never go that long without kissing him again. Knowing that she just wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.


End file.
